Tire-chain.



J. REICHERT.

TIRE CHAIN.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 1911.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

, JOHN, sarcasm, or RACINE, WISCONSIN.

TIRE-CHAIN.

specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application filed April 4, 1917. Serial No. 159,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN REIGHERT, a citizen of the United States, and' resident of Racine, county of Racine, and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Tire- Chains, of which the following is a specificaj tion.

This invention relates to certain improvements in and relating to tire chains; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings, illustrating what I now believe to be the preferred embodiments and mechanical expressions of my invention from among other formations, arrangements and constructions within the spirit and scope of the invention.

It is an object of the present invention 'to provide an emergency traction device which can be readily and uickly applied to a motor vehicle wheel when'in the mud or snow or under other conditions where extra traction is required, and which can be applied'to such wheel whether or not the wheel is equipped with a tire chain of the type now in general use.

It isa further'object of the invention to provide improvements in a device for attachment to the wheel :of a vehicle to increase the traction thereof, of the type embodying a clamp applied to a spoke of the vehicle wheel and a traction element adapted to be fastened to and maintained in openative position on the vehicle wheel by said clamp.

his a further object of the invention to provide a. tire chain provided 'with a clamp adapted to be locked on a spoke of a wheel, and a chain connected to the clamp and adapted when in operative position on the wheel to lock the clamp to the spoke and when released from Operative position to un lock the clamp and release it from the spoke, whereby the tire chain can be applied to and locked on awheel by a single operation and released from the wheel by a single operation. The invention consists in certain novel features in construction and in combinations and arrangements as more fully and particularly set, forth and specified hereinafter Referring'to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle wheel to which several tire chains of my invention are attached. Fig. 2, is a transverse section taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view looking down upon the spoke clamp and lock, which is in a horizontal pos tion, resting upon one side and partly in section. r

Fig. 4, is a perspectiveview of the spoke clamp and lock in opened unlocked position.

The present invention provides a' tire chain comprlslng a length of chain, or other tract1on element, which is connected at one end to a clamp or lockadapted to fit on and around a spoke of a vehicle wheel and to be locked thereon and therearound bv the other or free end of said chain or traction element. That is, the free end of the traction element is not merely fastened to the clamp or lock to maintain it in operative position on the vehicle wheel but is fastened thereto in such a manner that it looks the clamp upon the spoke. The arrangement of clamp and traction element being such that by the single act of connecting the free end of the traction element to the clamp the latter is locked to a spoke and the element is operativelv maintained on the vehicle wheel.

In the accompanying drawings I show the preferred form and arrangement of spoke clamp and traction element which latter is preferably a length of chain. A portion of a vehicle wheel is disclosed in Fig. I, havmg the usual spokes 1, rim 2, and tire 3. In Fig. 1, I have shown two tire chains embodying my invention applied to adjacent spokes, although it is, understood that any number of such tire chains may be applied to a wheel and on any desired spokes thereof. The .tire chain comprises a clampand lock 4 and the traction element 5. The clamp 4 is locked around a spoke l and the traction element 5 is passed over and around the the 3 and is connected to the clamp 4 at opposite. sides thereof.

The clamp 4 is formed of two members or jaws 6 and 7 which are pivotally connected at 8. The. free ends ofthe jaws 6 and T are extended or projected from the jaws to form the arms 8 and 9, which are paralle when the clamp is in closed position and are opposite the 'pivotally connected ends of the clamp at S. The arm or extenslon S of the jawfi is formed with two loops or cars 10 e and 11 which are on opposite sides thereof and lie in the same longitudinal plane with the jaw 6, and the loop or car 11 is'considerably longer than the ear 10 for the purpose appearing hereinafter. It will be seen that when the clamp is in closed or locked position the car 11 projects from the side of the arm 8 adjacent arm 9 and that the car" arms 8.

chain circumferentially of the wheel.

A longitudinal slot or opening 12 is formed in the arm or extension 9 of suffi cient length and width" to permit the ear 11 passing and extendingtherethrough when the clamp is in closed or locked position.

As before mentioned, the ear 11 is made longer than the ear 10, in order that it will project a sui'liclent distance beyond the arm 9, as shown by Fig. 3 of the drawings. In

the particular example illustrated, this ear 11 is formed of a length permitting it, when theclamp is in closed position, to extend approximately the same distance from the outer side of arm '9' as the ear 10 extends from arm 8, thus presenting equal size ears when the clamp is in closed position.

A suitable covering 13 of rubber, leather or the like, may be placed on the jaws of clamp 4 to prevent chafing or inarring the spoke and rim ofthe wheelwhen locked thereon.

A chain or other traction element 5'is connected at one end by means of a link 1'-lto the ear 10. This link lais of the split type and is provided on one side with an interior shoulder 15. This construction prevents the link from becoming twisted and jammed out of position with respect to the end of chain 5 and loop or'ear 10. The length of the chain 5 varies with the size of wheel and tire to which it will beapplied but is preferably always of a length which will permit at least some movement of the The is provided with. a

free end of the chain a snap hook 16 which is' adapted to be fas-' 'tenedto the loop or ear 11 ofthe clamp at as will be explained hereinafter.

The method ofapplyin g a tire chain constructed and arranged as descr1bed,is as follows: The clamp 4: having the chain 5 or other traction element, connected at one end to the loop orear 10 thereof, and provided on its free end with a snap hook, or the like 16, is opened, tothe position as shown in Fig. 4, and is placed around a spoke 1- of the wheel. The chain 5 is then passed over and around and transversely across the periphery of the tire with the free end carrying the snap hook 16 depending downwardly on the opposite side of the wheel.

The clamp at around the spoke 1, is closed so that it assumes the posltion disclosed by Fig. 3. with the large loop or ear 11 extending through and beyond the slot or opening 12 in the arm 9. In this position the clamp is fastened tightly on and around the spoke 1. but is not locked thereon. To

lock the clamp upon the spoke and to fasten the chain or traction element 5 in operative position on the wheel. the snap hook 16 18 connected to the large ear 11 on the oppo- 9 ahd'maintain tl useful and eflicient when the wheels of the site side from the link 14: which connects the other end of the traction elementto the clamp. Thus it will be seen that the clamp 4 has been locked to the spoke and the traction element operatively fastened in position on the wheel and across the tire by the single act of connecting the snap hooklG totheearll. lll

The hook 16 is" referably made sufiicient-ly large so that yvhen connected to'the' ear 11, it will be ar against the slpttedlarm e same pressetkz gains the s andf dlay arm 8, in this manner the loosen between the free \ends of the .jawts t e clamp is taken 'up\ a d the same is iai tained closed around the spoke 1.

-l Tire chains of my\1n vent1on are inte' ded- 'for emergency use andmise in combination.

with tire chains of he\ usual type where those are found insuflioiei t to furnish the re quired traction to the-Wheels of the vehicle. A number of chains CQIISih'IVt-Gd in accordance with the -presentldiic osures may be carried in the tool box \oiiother convenient place on a vehicle readyyfor innnediate'use when it is desired to increase the traction of These chains are found very I the wheels.

vehicle sink into mud holes or the like and it is found that the\ usual type of tire chain fails-to give suflicie t traction for't 1e vehicle to pull itself from the hole or 1 oles. In such an instance, severhl of these 0 ains can be quickly fastenedto the wheels, over whatever traction devices may be already \applied to the-wheels; any, and the vehicle will' then be able to-lpull out without difliculty. These chains'have overcoi'ne the (llfllClllt-IGS and disadvantages of existing chains of this type, in that they may be applied and re-- *lIlOVGCl by the single operation of fastening or removing the hobkon the free end of the chain to the spoke clanip.

It is obvious that various changes, modifications and variationsinight be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scopev of my invention, and hence I do notwish to limit n'iyself to the exact disclosure hereof.

lVhat I claim is 1. An 'ei'nergency traction unit for quick application to and" removal from a, vehicle wheel, consisting essentially of a flexible traction member"provided )Yltli attached 'means for re-movably encircling a wheel 5 spoke to anchor the traction member there.

to said means being flexibly coupled to one end of said member and embodying a loop, the free oppositeend of said member having an attached hook quickly applicable to and detachable from said-loop'to simultaneously lock said means on the spoke and said member in operativeposition on thef'wheel, or to release said means for removal with the said attached member. a

2. An emergency traction unit for vehicle Wheels, consisting essentially of a traction member: and means permanently attached thereto for anchoring said member to a wheel spoke and in operative position on the J wheel tire whereby the member and said a means constitute a unitary structure for apanchoring the same to a wheel spoke and in operative position on a tire, said means com: prising a. spoke clamp of permanently connected members attached .to' one end of said traction member and a. lock for said clamp embodyinga coupling and locking hook attached to the opposite free end of said traction member.

An mergency traction unit for vehicle consisting essentially of a length of ion c a-in at one end having means attae d, thereto for removably encircling a Wheel spoke and anchoring the chain thereto and in operative position on the tire tread, theopposite free end of said chain having a coupling and locking device attached thereto. for cooperation with said means to simultaneously lock the same on the spoke and couple said chain end thereto, and to .}u nlock said means andrelease said chain ber and constructed and arranged for quick i rid for removal of the chain and its attached means and device as a unitary struc-' true. 7

5. An' emergency traction unit for vehicle wheels, consisting essentially of a flexible traction member prov1ded with a fiexlble spoke-embracing clamp and with a membercoupling and clamp-locking element, said clamp being flexibly coupled to one end 0t said member and being constructed and arranged to open and close for quick release from and application to a wheel spoke for anchoring the member thereto and m operative position'on the tread of the tire, said clamp having a portion for cooperating-with said elementto couple said element to the clamp and lock the clamp in spoke encircling position, said member-coupling and clan'ip-locking element being flexibly coupled to the other end of said traction memattachment to and detachment 'from said portion of the clamp to simultaneously couple said end of the member to the clamp and lock the clamp, and to simultaneously release said end of the member and unlock the clamp for. removal of said member with its clamp and element.

6. Anemergency traction device for vehicle wheels, comprising a clamp adapted to removably encircle a. wheel spoke and embodying free ends adapted to approximately .meet in parallellsm when the clamp is closed on the spoke, one of said ends being slotted and the other formed with a loop adapted to project through and beyondsaid slotted end, in combination with a traction member having one end coupledto said clamp and another end provided with a membercoupling and clamp-locking element for detachably coupling said last-mentioned endof the member to said loop and for locking the clamp in closed position.

7. An emergency tract1on device for vehiclewheels, comprising a flexible spoke embracing clamp having approximately radial opposing free ends, one of said ends having a laterally extending loop, the other end being slotted to receive said loop, in combination with a traction member having an end flexibly coupled'to said free end providedwith the loop, and a locking hook attached to another end of said member and adapted to detachably engage the end of the loop projecting through said slot 'to lock the clamp on the spoke and couple said end of the member to the clamp. I

.8. An emergency traction device for vehiclewheels, comprising a flexible traction member at one end provided with and loosely coupled to a clamp adapted to removably engage a wheel spoke and anchor the member thereto, said clamp formed with free ends, one end of said traction member being loosely coupled to one of'said clamp ends which clampend is provided with a laterally projecting loop, the other. clamp end being slotted for the passage of said loop, and a coupling and clamp-lockinfg element attached to another end of said member and formed to detachably engage said loop to couple said member thereto and to cooperate with said loop to tightly wedge said clamp ends toward each other.

9. Adevice of the character substantially as set forth comprising an encircling clamp provided with projecting free ends approximately parallel and engaging when the clamp is closed, one of said ends having a lateral loop and the other end slotted to receive said loop, and a coupling and clamp locking hook constructed to detachably enaq the end of said loop projecting through sailfslot and Wedge said ends tightly toward each other and lock clamp in closed position. v

JOHN REICHERT.

It is hereby certified, that in Letters Patent). .N 0. 1,292,879,? gf-a ted Januaiy 28,

1919, hpen the application of John Reichert, 0f Racine, Wisconsin, for an improvement in Tii'e-Chains,"errors appear the printed specification'requiling cdrrecbion-as follewsz Page 3, lihe 1-15, claim 9, strike Out the word free. samg\ page and claim, line 122, after the W011i sl0tinsert a peyi0d, and.jcomrfien' cing with thewdrd a ndfi strike out all fio the end of the claim and that the'seid- Letters Patent-should be read with these corrections therein that the same mey QDfOlfiIl to the record of the cese in the Patent Oflice'.

Signed and sealed this'4th day of-'March, A. D., 1919.

SEAL-.1 R. F. 'WHITEHEAD,

Acting GommimI-oher of Patents. CL 152-14-. 

